Ethyl carbamate (EC) and N-nitrosoamines (NAs) are toxic contaminants which can be typically formed in fermented alcoholic beverages. In the present work, a novel approach for simultaneous analysis of EC and NAs in beer and yellow rice wine based on ice-bath assisted sodiumhydroxide purification and GC-MS/MS was firstly established. Samples were extracted with acetonitrile-ethyl acetate after addition of internal standards. The extraction solution system was purified by sodiumhydroxide solid under ice-bath. After concentration, target analytes were separated on a HP-INNOWAX quartz capillary column and determined under dynamic multiple reactions monitoring mode of MS/MS. The limits of detection and quantification (LOD and LOQ), matrix effect, recovery and precision of the method were evaluated. Results were linear in the concentration range 2-200 μg/L for all analytes of interest, with regression coefficients higher than 0.999. LODs and LOQs were in the ranges of 0.1-0.5 μg/kg and 0.5-1.5 μg/kg, respectively. The mean recoveries at three spiked levels were between 81.5% and 121.0%. The intra- and inter-day precisions were in the ranges of 2.2-9.4% and 1.6-7.9%, respectively. The validated method was successfully applied to determine thirteen targets in commercial beer and yellow rice wine. EC was detected in all beers and yellow rice wines with the concentrations ranging from 1.18 to 22.90 μg/L. Results indicated wide EC contamination and confirmed its urgency for monitoring EC in fermented alcoholic beverages.
Keywords: Beer; Ethyl carbamate; GC–MS/MS; Matrix clean-up; N-nitrosoamine; Rice wine.
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